This application claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 10-2000-37708 filed Jul. 3, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display, and more particularly, to a color filter of a liquid crystal display and method of fabricating the same. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for simplifying the fabricating process of the color filter and improving characteristics in color and brightness.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display can be manufactured in various sizes. Thus, the liquid crystal display have been employed in various display devices from a small sized display device such as a watch, a calculator, and a portable terminal, to a large sized display device such as a monitor of a computer and a television.
Further, in comparison with other devices, the liquid crystal display consumes relatively a small electric power, and it is relatively easy to be carried. Consequently, the liquid crystal display has several advantages among display devices.
Among the conventional display devices, a cathode ray tube (CRT) is a device for accelerating electrons to collide with phosphor ions on a screen to emit light. Images are displayed on the screen. However, the CRT consumes a high electric power and requires a space for accelerating the electrons, so that a volume of the CRT is relatively large. On the other hand, as an alternative to the CRT, the liquid crystal display is the most commonly used as a display device due to its small consumption of electric power and its various sizes.
The liquid crystal display device is a display device utilizing a liquid crystal, which has an intermediate characteristic between a solid and a liquid. An arrangement in the liquid crystal is changed according to the change of the voltage applied thereto. Therefore, the arrangement of the liquid crystal is adjusted to change a degree of transmission of light at the portion in the liquid crystal display by properly adjusting a voltage applied to a specific portion of the liquid crystal. As a result, a division of light and darkness is generated therein, thereby displaying desired images on the screen.
In case of displaying colors in the liquid crystal display, a transmission rate of the white light through the liquid crystal is adjusted. Thus, desired colors are displayed by means of an additive mixture of three primary colors generated by the light through red, green, and blue color filters. In this case, the adjustment of the transmission rate of the light through the liquid crystal is carried out by changing an intensity of the electric field between the opposite ends of the liquid crystal through adjusting a voltage.
In a half reflection and half transmission type color liquid crystal display, an image is displayed by means of the light emitted from a backlight and the light incident to the liquid crystal display from the exterior. In this type of the liquid crystal display, a transmission section displays an image by means of the light emitted from the backlight whereas a reflection section displays an image by reflecting the light incident to the liquid crystal display from the exterior.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a color filter of a liquid crystal display in the background art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a color filter in thebackground art includes a glass substrate 101, a color resin layer 102, and a transparent electrode 103. The color resin layer 102 has a transmission section where the light emitted from a backlight passes through while a reflection section where the light incident from the exterior is reflected. The transparent electrode 103 is formed of a conductor to apply a voltage to a liquid crystal cell.
Further, below the reflection section of the color resin layer 102, an acryl resin layer 104 for adjusting a. distance for the light to pass through the color resin layer 102 is formed on the glass substrate 101. A backlight (not shown) is disposed at the close proximity of the transparent electrode 103. The transparent electrode 103 is opposed to a lower plate having a pixel electrode.
In the transmission section of the color filter, the light emitted from the backlight disposed at the close proximity of the transparent electrode 103 successively passes through the transparent electrode 103, the color resin layer 102, and the glass substrate 101 in displaying color images. In this case, a color is expressed by a color contained in the color resin layer 102. Brightness is adjusted by controlling the voltage applied to the corresponding pixel.
In the reflection section of the color filter, the light incident toward the glass substrate 101 passes through the acryl resin layer 104, the color resin layer 102, and the transparent electrode 103. The light is then reflected by a metal portion (not shown) of the pixel electrode disposed at the close proximity of the transparent electrode 103. The reflected light travels through the transparent electrode 103, the color resin layer 102, the acryl resin layer 104, and the glass substrate 101 in displaying color images. A color in the reflection section is also expressed by a color contained in the color resin layer 102, and brightness is adjusted by controlling the voltage applied to the corresponding pixel.
The transmission section and the reflection section usually correspond to a single pixel. As described above, light passes through the color resin layer 102 twice in the reflection section and passes through the color resin layer 102 one time in the transmission section. Therefore, when the reflection section and the transmission section have a thickness the same as the color resin layers, the reflection section has brightness lower than that of the transmission section.
Consequently, the reflection section is formed to have a thickness different from that of the transmission section by forming the acryl resin layer 104 in the reflection section. Thus, a distance for the light to pass through the reflection section is reduced, thereby properly adjusting brightness and color of the reflection section.
The above-mentioned color filter in the background art is fabricated as follows. First, the acryl resin layer 104 is formed on the glass substrate 101. In this process, the acryl resin layer 104 is formed only in the reflection section through a photolithography process step. Thereafter, the color resin layer 102 is formed on the glass substrate 101 having the acryl resin layer 104. The transparent electrode 103 is then formed on the color resin layer 102.
In the color filter of the background art as described above, the acryl resin layer 104 is partly formed on the glass substrate 101 corresponding to the reflection section and then the color resin layer 102 is formed thereon. Thus, there is a disadvantage that an additional step for forming the acryl resin layer 104 is required. Further, since a range for the thickness d of the acryl resin layer 104 is very limited within the range in which the color resin layer 102 is flat, it is very difficult to optimize the characteristics of color and brightness of the reflection section.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a color filter of a liquid display and method of fabricating the same that substantially obviate one or more of problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a color filter of a color liquid crystal display and method of fabricating the same that simplifies the method of manufacturing the color filter, and that optimizes brightness and color in the liquid crystal display.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description, which follows and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a color filter of a liquid crystal display includes a glass substrate, a color resin layer on the glass substrate, and a transparent electrode over the color resin layer, wherein the color resin layer has transmission and reflection sections, and the reflection section has first and second portions, wherein the first portion is patterned and the second portion is not patterned, thereby controlling a quantity of light passing through the reflection section.
In another aspect of the present invention, a liquid crystal display includes a first glass substrate, a color resin layer on the first glass substrate, an overcoat layer on the color resin layer, a transparent electrode over the color resin layer, wherein the color resin layer has transmission and reflection sections, and the reflection section has first and second portions, wherein the first portion is patterned and the second portion is not patterned, thereby controlling a quantity of light passing through the reflection section, a second glass substrate, a plurality of wirings for a transistor on the second glass substrate, a plurality of pixel electrode on the second glass substrate, and connecting to each wiring, and a plurality of pattern spacer connecting the transparent electrode and the wirings.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating a color filter of a liquid crystal display on a glass substrate, having transmission and reflection sections includes the steps of forming a color resin layer on the glass substrate, patterning the color resin layer of the reflection section to have first and second portions, wherein the first portion is patterned and the second portion is not patterned, thereby controlling a quantity of light passing through the reflection section, forming an overcoat layer on the color resin layer to level the color resin layer, and forming a transparent electrode on the overcoat layer.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.